Watercress is really a stunning salad leaf. It has a pleasantly mellow and slightly peppery taste (not to mention, it looks so pretty on the plate!). In addition, Watercress has been touted as a “superfood” for all of its nutritional benefits – a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition even found that a daily serving of Watercress can significantly reduce DNA damage to blood cells, which is considered to be an important trigger in the development of cancer.
With all of its wonderful health benefits, I love pairing
Watercress with something a little bit decadent – in this case, Cashew-Coated
Goat Cheese! Haystack Mountain
has been making their Boulder Chevre since 1991 and it has been a staple in my
kitchen for years. It has that signature
goat’s milk tang and pleasant notes of hay with a wonderful, creamy texture. The fried goat cheese patties make a rich and flavorful accompaniment to this salad and give the dish enough heft to be
a meal, in itself.
Watercress and Pear Salad with Cashew-Coated Goat
Cheese and Citrus Vinaigrette
serves 4
serves 4
Salad:
2 Watercress bunches, rinsed
well and cut from the root ball *see presentation note
1 pear (any kind), thinly sliced
4 oz (1 small log) Haystack Mt. Boulder Chevre
¼ cup Flour
1 egg
1 T milk
3 T panko bread crumbs
3 T finely chopped cashews
peanut oil
salt and pepper
Dressing:
1 garlic clove, chopped
Pinch of Meyer lemon zest
3 T Meyer lemon juice
Pinch of blood orange zest
3 T blood orange juice
1 T D’Anjou Pear Vinegar (may substitute Champagne
vinegar)
½ tsp Dijon
mustard
½ tsp honey
3 T extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Assemble the goat cheese patties: Allow chevre to
come to room temperature (let stand, unrefrigerated, for at least 30 minutes or
longer, if possible). Divide log into
four equal portions. Roll portions into
little balls and then flatten, slightly, into a small patty. Arrange the ingredients for the crust: Place flour on a small plate, crack the egg
into a bowl and lightly whisk together with milk, and mix together the bread
crumbs, cashews, and a little salt and pepper in another bowl. Working one at a time, dredge each cheese
patty in flour, then quickly dip the patty into the egg mixture, allowing any
excess egg to run off. Place the patty
in the bread crumb mixture and gently press the crumbs into the patty to coat
well. Allow to chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry.
Make dressing: Add all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil and salt to a blender. Pulse a few times to blend, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the blender running. Add a generous pinch of salt (or to taste) and blend.
Place a large, shallow pan over medium heat and add enough peanut oil to coat the bottom of the pan well.
When oil is hot, add goat cheese patties and fry until golden and crispy,
about 3 minutes per side. Remove from
pan and allow to drain on a paper towel.
Place Watercress in a bowl and drizzle with dressing (recipe makes more dressing than you will need - the leftovers will keep in the fridge for at least a few days). *Presentation tip: If you want to create a "bouquet" on your plate, as pictured, cut the watercress greens from the root ball while holding the stems together above the cut (kitchen scissors work best for this). Place the leaf bunch in the bowl so that the stem bottoms are to your left and leaf tops to your right and gently roll the bunch into the dressing as though you were pushing a French rolling pin, making sure to get dressing on each leaf. Arrange watercress on each plate, then dress the pear slices in the same bowl. Place the fried cheese on the base of the stems and arrange pear slices in a fan formation. Serve immediately.